Everybody’s Golf is a deceptively easy game to pick up, but it gets pretty challenging fast. While we’re sure you’ve mastered the art of triple-clicking your way to the odd birdie by now, you’re probably wondering how to significantly improve your score. Fortunately, we’ve badgered chairman Suzuki for some top tips, and they’re presented as part of our golfing guide below.

Read the course as best as you can

First and foremost, we recommend you pay attention to the course that you’re about to play. Before blundering along and teeing off, just take a few seconds to look at what you’re up against. Before starting a shot, you can use a combination of the Triangle and Circle buttons along with the d-pad to get a fly-by view of the land in front of you, and you can tap the touchpad to get an overhead look. Pay attention to the wind direction in the top right corner, and plan your shots out in your head before you stroke them.

Don’t always go for the Hollywood shot

While you may think you can reach the green by cutting through some shrubbery, ponder whether it’s worth the risk. Don’t get us wrong, the very best scores will all involve some degree of calculated risk, but if you’re attempting to blast your way through a forest or cut a corner near to a dangerous cliff-face, maybe consider your chances before taking the shot. There’s no shame in settling for a birdie or par – especially if the alternative ends up being a bogey or worse.

Pay attention to your lie

Scuffed the ball into the bunker or rough grass? You can recover with some good play, but pay attention to the lie. Landing outside of the fairway can reduce the power of your shots, and the bottom right of the screen will alert you to how undercooked your shot may be. Take this into account and compensate when you set the power of your shot by overcharging the power in order to compensate for the lie.

Take advantage of spin

One of the most important skills for advanced Everybody’s Golf players is spin. This allows you to better shape your shot in order to get closer to the pin – or simply steer clear of hazards. Here’s how you do it:

How do you add spin to your shots in Everybody’s Golf?

Backspin: tap down on the d-pad at the point of impact (third click) to get backspin. This raises the arc of the shot, meaning that it’s less susceptible to rolling when hitting the turf. As such, it’s good for approach play – but be warned that pitch shots stay in the air for longer and thus are more likely to be influenced by wind.

Topspin: tap up on the d-pad at the point of impact (third click) to get topspin. This flattens the shot, meaning that the ball’s trajectory is lower, and the carry is longer when the ball hits the ground. Topspin is good for getting a little extra distance on your drives or cutting through strong wind, but it can be wild and it’s easy to lose control of the ball.

Sidespin: tap left or right on the d-pad at the point of impact (third click) to get sidespin. If you want the ball to hook to the left, then you’re going to need to press right and vice versa. Side spin is great for tracing the natural curve of a hole – or in more desperate situations it can be used to avoid obstacles such as trees.

How do you perform Super Backspin in Everybody’s Golf?

To get Super Backspin in Everybody’s Golf, you need to tap up on the d-pad when you set the power (second click) and then tap down on the d-pad when you set the impact (third click). You need to get perfect impact otherwise Super Backspin won’t work. Hit the pin while successfully executing Super Backspin and you’ll perform a Homing Shot.

How do you perform Super Topspin in Everybody’s Golf?

Super Topspin is, essentially, the opposite to Super Backspin: tap down on the d-pad when you set the power (second click) and then tap up on the d-pad when you set the impact (third click). Again, you’ll need perfect impact otherwise you’ll just end up with a standard Topspin shot. If you hit the pin with a successful Super Topspin shot, you’ll perform a Rising Shot.

How do you perform a Super Spin in Everybody’s Golf?

Want lots of crazy swerve on your shot? Simple. To perform Super Spin, you need to tap left or right on the d-pad when you set the power (second click) and then tap the opposite direction when you set the impact (third click). As you've probably guessed now, you’ll need perfect impact otherwise you won’t get Super Spin. Hit the pin with one of these shots, and you’ll perform a Spiral Shot.

Learn how to take Power shots

Power shots are a valuable tool if you want to add yards to your drive. You start out with a limited number of these but can unlock more as you progress through the single player campaign. To use a Power shot, simply push the Square button before starting the shot to add the extra distance. Be sure to take a look at where the ball’s likely to land before teeing off.

While you can still take Power shots after using up your allocation, be warned that you’ll need to get perfect impact otherwise your shot will be wonky. As mentioned earlier in the guide, consider the risk: do you really need those extra yards?

Analyse the topography of the course

There’s a line above your power bar which visually represents the lay of the land. This should allow you to account for bumps, valleys, and straight up hills. When you’re putting on the green, pay extra special attention to this indicator. If it’s sloped downwards towards the flag, then take a little power off your shot otherwise the ball could run too fast – and obviously increase the strength of your shot if you’re playing uphill.

Also, pay attention to the moving lines on the green grid. If they’re moving to the right, then you want to shoot a little to the left – but only relative to the speed at which the lines are moving. Faster moving lines mean a steeper incline, which is more likely to affect the movement of the ball.

Hopefully these tips will help you to shave a few shots off your rounds in Everybody’s Golf. Have you got any questions? Do you have any hints to add? Drop them in the comments section below.